Word Origin & History

airy late 14c., "of the air, made of air," from air (1). Meaning "breezy" is attested from 1590s; that of "lively" is from 1640s. Sense of "vain, unsubstantial" is from 1580s. Disparaging airy-fairy is attested from 1920 (earlier in a sense of "delicate or light as a fairy," which is how Tennyson used it in 1830).

Example Sentences for airy

There was a long, airy gallery, in which he was allowed to take exercise any hour of the day.

I had climbed up into the airy heights, I had been writing of millionaires.

Very few houses have a proper place to keep provisions in; the best substitute is a hanging-safe, suspended in an airy situation.

The latter, entirely unabashed, waved an airy gesture, and continued.

Visions are airy; but I propose to see visions for a moment, and Britain as she might be in 1948.

An airy irrelevancy was quite as common as the serious note.

In my youthful haste I asked myself what sort of airy soul she had.

In the inner and airy office, Dunwoodie nodded, motioned at a chair.

They saw a room, like the other bedrooms in the house, large and airy.

His airy play with the texts of Holy Scripture had been too venturesome for many.